Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of competition in keeping the price of generic medicine down; and what plans they have to ensure the National Health Service does not pay inflated prices for such medicine.

Competition to reduce the prices of generic medicines has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. Anti-competitive behaviour, including excessive pricing, is a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Department asks the CMA to investigate where it has concerns about abuses of competition law for generic medicines. Where companies are found by the CMA to be in breach of the legislation, the Department will seek damages and invest that money back into the National Health Service.